Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stamp Set

This card was CASED from stampcandy on splitcoaststampers March 15, 2010. See her card here. She has a lot of other pretty cards made with this set on her splitcoast gallery. Card base is Certainly Celery run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.
Next layer is Orchid Opulence with a strip of Whisper White on the right that has been punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. Next layer is So Saffron. Then image is stamped on Whisper White. Ink pads used: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Orchid Opulence. Sentiment from Well Scripted set is stamped in Certainly Celery on So Saffron Large Oval, backed by Scallop Oval. Butterfly is punched with the Butterfly Punch from the Shades of Spring designer series paper in the mini-catalog that ends April 30. Butterfly is adhered with mini glue dot. (Love those mini glue dots!)

This stamp set is on special April 1 - 30. It is a sneak peek - it is a stamp set that will be in the new Idea Book and Catalog that comes out in July. I made a sample for Stamp Club and am uploading it here. If I make more cards with this set, I'll come back and upload them into this post.

This stamp set has a lot of pieces - the clear mount comes in two separate cases rubber banded together.

It is quite versatile as to how you can color it. It is a Two-Step set, which means we stamp the outline and then go back and stamp the color inside of it. Using a stamp-a-ma-jig would be very helpful. I didn't use it with this sample - I was in a hurry. I did it in about 15 minutes before April stamp club -- BUT -- I had gotten everything together the night before. That makes a huge difference. I had been wondering how Heather in Canada was able to make a card and video just about every day with 4 small children - one of them 3 and one 5 months. I'm thinking she just has to do things in steps, one of them being get all the stuff together. Then go take care of baby. Then come make card parts. Go take care of little ones. Then come back and put card together while videoing!

Anyway -- some of the techniques that can be used with this set. Before that though -- one thing with the clear mount stamps - you can mount images on the block at the same time.

And other trick I saw was to mount the outline images on one block and lay it down stamp up. Then lay another clear block over that and adhere your coordinating solid images in the same layout (see Marker to Stamp technique below).

- Standard Two-Step Stamping - stamp outline, then use ink pad to ink up the solid image and stamp it within the outline.

- Use Watercolor Crayons directly on the solid rubber images. Spritz with water and stamp for a natural watercolored look.

- Use the Marker-to-Stamp technique and color on the solid rubber images. Use multiple markers for a beautiful, colorful image.

- Kissing technique.

- Use just the line images and color them in with your favorite technique (watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils, pastels, ink refills, etc.

- Embossing and Embossing Resist Techniques

- Poppin' Pastels Technique

Stamping April 10 and 12, 2010

These are the cards we did April 10 and 12.


Acetate Strip Pop Up Card (also called Fan Belt card)



Front of card is a direct CASE from tjdstampsalot dated September 24, 2008. See her card here for front and here for inside.

She had the inside as a spiral pop up card (we have done that style of card earlier).

I changed changed the inside from spiral pop up to acetate strip pop up. Stamp set used on the front is Celebrate Everything. "YOU" was stamped in Brilliant Blue ink on Summer Sun cardstock and then punched out with small star punch; that small star was then glued to large Brilliant Blue star.

Nora and I were working with making some more of these cards a week or so later. We learned that the stars that are taller in the inside need the 1/2" wide strip of acetate in order to stand up better. They don't do as well - they're more floppy - if the 1/4" strip of acetate is used.

Stars inside CASED from: cmstamps @www.mystamplady.com. On splitcoast February 14, 2010. See her card here. Colors changed; sentiment changed. See also poster mcgill15 dated June 28, 2009 here. Demonstrated originally by Ally Fereday at London Regionals.

Stamp set used on the inside is Happy Everything. Stars punched with small and large star punches. Cardstock colors used: Summer Sun, Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Whisper White.



Here is how you make the open center stars. Punch out small star with small star punch. Then position large star punch over the negative (hole) and punch again.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Technique

Key words here are PINCH of clear embossing powder and sprinkle LIGHTLY. You do not want to put embossing powder on like you do when you are embossing something and you don't want to put it on the whole image. You want just a little bit - it seems to help it dry faster (still takes a long time with the heat gun though - you've got to wait for the milk to "cook."). I held the card between 45 and 90 degree angle and sprinkled lightly that way so that I wasn't getting the whole image coated and then flicked extra off. Also note the note in red: use Sweetened Condensed Milk - not evaporated milk which also comes in a can.

Card created by Helen! (I was looking for a solid image stamp that would work well.) Stamp is from Kind and Caring Thoughts set - stamped with sweetened condensed milk; sprinkled LIGHTLY with a PINCH of clear embossing powder, and heated with heat gun until the sugar in the milk caramelizes. Cardstock: Taken with Teal card front; Apricot Appeal layer; Very Vanilla is image panel. Cathy Dismuke asked about learning this technique. I researched several places to learn how to do this technique. Other solid image stamps that would work would be Inspired by Nature and Upsy Daisy. I tried the images on the following cardstocks: Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, and Very Vanilla and decided it showed up best on Very Vanilla.

Envelope Interest -- Designer Series Paper liner

Certainly Celery DSP; Funky Forest wheel; Certainly Celery Ink.

Front of envelope was also wheeled. Used wheel guide to keep wheel straight. Lined up envelope and guide with lines on grid paper.

Card CASED from Rumple2103 on splitcoast dated March 13, 2010. See her card here.

Certainly Celery DSP to match envelope liner. Certainly Celery and Whisper White cardstock; Trendy Trees stamp set. Certainly Celery and Close to Cocoa ink. White Taffeta ribbon; used clip from Clip Assortment, page 179 of 2009-2010 IB&C. Also used Stamp-a-ma-jig to place tree top onto tree trunk.

I also read/learned something about using the Stamp-a-ma-jig -- AFTER this class. I had learned to use a piece of vellum with the stamp-a-ma-jig before -- then you can just save that piece where you've stamped your stamp rather than wiping it off of the plastic sheet that comes with the stamp-a-ma-jig. By using the vellum and keeping that in the case with the stamps, you don't have to do that first step each time. I did realize I need to write "FRONT" on the vellum though so I know which side i was using.

The new thing I learned is to use a darker color ink pad on the vellum sheet (but be careful to change colors that first time before you go to your card). In class we used celery ink with the stamp-a-ma-jig because that is what we were going to use on the card - but the celery was rather light and it was challenging to see the little tree trunk blank spaces in the middle of the tree top. It would have been easier to see if the vellum piece or the plastic stamp-a-ma-jig piece had been stamped in black or Always Artichoke.

I wanted to use Certainly Celery for the make 'n take since it was spring and Certainly Celery is spring color and because the one I was casing from used Celery. But Trendy Trees is quite versatile -- by changing color - see Pumpkin Pie card below -- it becomes a fall card.
I've seen the tree top done in pink also -- for a feminine and even more springy card. Like a red bud or Judas tree.